Forget Milk Tray and bouquets of flowers; this year we've all decided to think outside the box with our Mother's Day presents and treat our mums to something extra special. After all, who else puts up with our late night work panic calls, Christmas tantrums and day-before-payday loans... and all without so much as an eye roll. What a hero! Read on to find out what the Refinery29 mums will be receiving this year, and get some much-needed inspiration for your own.
Kirstie Eden, Senior Sales & Partnerships Manager
I am lucky enough to have two strong mother figures in my life: my actual mum and my grandma, who I live with. They were both born in Guyana and still embody many West Indian cultural qualities that I admire; hospitality that knows no bounds, a cheery and caring disposition, generosity whenever possible and an unfailing love of rum, Coke, plantain and soca! They keep me grounded and I am so grateful for their support (even when they disagree with my decisions!). Brixton has always been a home to us and the first landing ground for my family when we migrated to the UK in the '50s. Together and independently, we all have many memories of Brixton, spanning three generations... For Mother’s Day this year I will be gifting both my mum and grandma (and myself!) this iconic print of Electric Avenue in Brixton from East End Prints. This keepsake will ensure that the colour of Brixton is never lost in our memories as gentrification continues to tighten its grip on the area. I’ll also be going home with a bottle of Barcardi Reserva on Mother’s Day, or my grandma will disown me!
Electric Avenue Print, £19.95, available at East End Prints
Emily McDonald, Sales & Partnerships Manager
For this Mother's Day I'm going a little left-field and somewhat extravagant. Me and my sister are going to be getting my mum a John Julian pestle and mortar. It's a pretty beautiful piece of kitchen craftsmanship but does come at quite a steep price tag. It feels justified though. My mum had a rough 2017 one way or another; she has suffered from a rare neuro-muscular illness for quite some time and last year she made the incredibly brave decision to have a stem cell transplant and chemotherapy to combat any long-term effects. After six months and Christmas Day spent in hospital, I know that she can't wait to get back in her own kitchen and potter about to the sound of the radio. So while this may seem like a sky-high price to pay for a pestle and mortar, it's a massive testament to my mum, who has quite literally faced the daily grind for some months now and deserves to be treated to something that reminds her just how much strength she has.
Porcelain Pestle and Mortar, £125, available at John Julian
Sheloa Nichols, Director of Content Production
My mother is one of eight children and she herself had eight children! INSANITY. I'm the second eldest of seven girls and one boy. (I know, and yes he's fine.) Money was always a bit tight but honestly we never wanted for anything. My mom always put a lot of stock behind 'making' and 'doing' – making dolls' clothes and building castles out of cardboard boxes... Her two biggest indulgences that you had to pay cash money for were our extracurricular activities and her garden. Some women bought clothes or perfume; she bought seeds. From Colorado to Donegal she has turned up stones and left flower and vegetable gardens in her wake. My Mother's Day gift to her now and always has been bulbs and seeds and random root shoots. The only thing she loves watching grow more than us is her garden.
Seed Kit, £14.99, available at Plant Theatre
Jess Commons, Health & Living Editor
My mum isn't into perfume or jewellery or anything like that so instead I like to get her practical gifts that she'll actually use. She's actually (get ready) an award-winning patchwork quilter and loves Liberty print fabric (she made her own clothes in the '70s when she lived a five-minute walk from the store) so I'm going to get her a bunch of patchwork squares in different Liberty prints to help her out on her various projects.
Liberty Seasonal Fabrics, £30, available at Alice Caroline
**PROMO FEATURE**
Sian O'Flaherty, Senior Branded Content Manager
This year I'm eschewing my usual Mother's Day gift of a bouquet of flowers and going for something a little more long-lasting, like this floral watch from Olivia Burton. Its soft, lilac leather strap feels so fresh and summery and is bang on trend this season. The sweet floral face will hopefully bring a smile to my mum's face every day, and will really stand the test of time (sorry, had to have a time pun in there!). Happy Mother's Day, Mum! x
Olivia Burton Enchanted Garden Watch, £82, available at Olivia Burton
Samantha Yu, Director, Strategy & Client Services
I moved to London from NYC last autumn, which means I've been compiling lists on lists of places to visit, things to do, and restaurants to try with my parents and younger brother when they visit. High tea has been high up on the list. For Mother's Day — and in anticipation of their arrival in early April — I think I'll confirm a reservation for the family. My mom mentioned a previous visit to Fortnum & Mason so I've been thinking it could be nice to go back. But if there are any other high tea spot recommendations, please send them over!
Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason
Rose Lander, International Co-Ordinator
My mum is absolutely spectacular, but she does have the not-so-spectacular habit of transferring all her worry about something big to something very small. I know she does this because unfortunately, I've inherited the exact same trait. My brother's expecting his first baby this week so instead of thinking about that, my mum's decided to worry about the fact that each person in my family doesn't have their own unique napkin ring at family meals (it takes all sorts to make a world). To try and calm her nerves, me and my siblings have been scouring eBay and market stalls for pretty, vintage napkin rings so we can present her with a completely unique set on Mother's Day. It's definitely not your typical Mother's Day present, and you do get funny looks when you tell people you only want to buy one napkin ring from a set of six, but if it will stop my mum's sleepless nights, I know it will be worth it.
Antique Silver Napkin Rings, available at Love Antiques
Sass Webber, Project Manager
I tend to fluctuate wildly between going all-out for family occasions or letting them pass by unacknowledged. This year, Sue will be pleased to know I’ve gone all out. My sis, Kitty, and I tend to club together, mostly because this saves Kitty the time and effort of having to think of or arrange a gift herself – a theme that seems to run in my family, given I was instructed to buy Christmas gifts on behalf of my dad, mama, sis, cousin and brother-in-law last year. I don’t mind saying that this is only in part down to their languorous approach, and mostly the result of my knack for choosing great gifts. This Mother’s Day is no exception. My mama is an avid bookworm; her love of literature is one of the best things she inspired in me from year dot, along with her love of the theatre. So to thank my mama for being so wonderful, this year my sis and I are taking her to see Letters Live, where a diverse array of performers read funny, poignant, remarkable and inspiring letters aloud in the beautiful setting of a disused chapel. She’s going to love it as it combines all her favourite things: words, performance, my sis and of course, me! She doesn’t know about it yet so this article is her official invite. Book your train, Sue – your Mother’s Day gift takes place on 7th March. Happy Mother’s Day. I love you x
Sign up for Letters Live
Natasha Slee, Social Media Manager
My parents are heading to New Zealand in March. It means I won't get to see my mum on Mother's Day for the first time, but they've been talking about doing this holiday for about 20 years. My gift to her is a practical one: a sketchbook with a customised 'New Zealand' cover, colourful washi tape, glue and pens, for recording their dream time away.
I need to post her all of this before they leave – so I need to get my skates on! Inside the package will be a second Mother's Day card to my gran, my mum's mum. I've been lucky enough to have my grandparents with me while I grew up, and we often spent weeks at a time staying at their houses – even though they only lived up the road! Since my dad's mum passed away a few years ago, it feels even more important to let Gran know how much I love her as often as possible.
A5 Scrapbook, £5, available at Paperchase
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